Marin braces as second storm of the week hits

The second storm of the week was expected to hit Marin in earnest Friday with heavy winds, rough seas and up to 2 more inches of rain.

"This will be stronger than what we saw earlier in the week," said Bob Benjamin, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "There will be high winds with this one."

Sausalito recorded 49 mph winds late Thursday afternoon, and high-wind warnings were issued for the Golden Gate and Richmond-San Rafael bridges.

The storm is expected to drop up to 2 inches of rain by the time it wraps up Friday night, Benjamin said. The heaviest rains are expected early Friday.

"There will be power outages and some trees down as well," Benjamin said.

A foretaste came Thursday evening and night, with scattered reports of downed power lines and fallen tree limbs. In Lagunitas, a tree fell into power lines at about 5:30 p.m. on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, according to preliminary reports. The westbound lane was closed and PG&E was called to the scene.

In San Anselmo, the creek was running at about 2.5 feet, more than 10 feet below flood stage, said San Anselmo police Sgt. Julie Gorwood.

The U.S Coast Guard warned of heavy seas Thursday evening and continuing into Friday. A small-craft advisory and a gale warning were in effect for the coast. The Coast Guard is encouraging all vessel owners and operators to check the status of mooring and anchors.

The public is asked to exercise beach safety and avoid low-lying beaches and other coastal areas including jetties and rocky areas during the storm. Large waves can quickly and unexpectedly sweep a person from these areas.

Pet owners are also reminded to protect their pets from rough waves and not to attempt to rescue the dog from a surf zone.